Airbnb talks Trips and Experiences with LA African American and Latino Chambers of Commerce

Airbnb representatives recently met with the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce (GLAAACC) and the Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce (LALCC) to encourage more minority-owned businesses to participate in the Airbnb Trips platform. Attendees learned about Airbnb Experiences which launched to make travel easy by immersing travelers in local communities and providing access to unique and authentic experiences.

Locals—including local businesses—create the Experiences, set the price, lead the Experiences and keep most of the earnings. It gives existing businesses and community organizations a new vehicle to promote their brand, products, mission, and vision.

LA Experiences include surf lessons in Venice Beach, a brewery tour and tasting, learning to draft a TV episode with two Hollywood writers, and more.

“We are excited and committed to continue working to promote home sharing and Airbnb Experiences as a catalyst for economic growth and development in the African American and Latino business community in LA,” said Airbnb Southern California Policy Manager John Choi.

By partnering with organizations like GLAAACC and LALCC, Airbnb aims to give local entrepreneurs access to Airbnb’s base of more than 200 million users and unlock a powerful new marketing channel. More importantly, Airbnb Experiences allows tourism dollars to be spread throughout the city, to local businesses and entrepreneurs including those in underserved communities.

“Hospitality and tourism are vital to the Los Angeles economy,” said GLAAACC Chairman Gene Hale. “We want to continue to find ways to help our members, many who are small business owners, participate in this industry and in the sharing economy. We want to thank Airbnb for their partnership and look forward to our continued work together.”

“If U.S. Latinos were their own country, they would be the seventh largest economic power in the world based on their gross domestic product. In Los Angeles County Latinos are now half of the entire population, that is why we are grateful to Airbnb for offering our community of business entrepreneurs access to tools that generate additional streams of revenue,” shared Moises Cisneros, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce.

Over the past year, Airbnb has made a great effort to expand the economic benefits of home sharing to every corner of the city, especially in areas underserved by the traditional tourism industry like South Los Angeles. This year the company was awarded the GLAAACC Corporation of the Year Award for its continued advocacy and leadership on behalf of the African-American business community.